laa
tankihuu – ( do not marry), the word “Nikaah” is used in the meanings of relationship between husband and
wife in Arabic. Here it can be inferred in the both meanings (the marriage knot
and the matrimonial relationship).

‘aabaaa- ‘ukum - (your fathers), its singular is ‘abun. Besides the actual father, here
grandfathers (paternal and maternal grandfather both) are included in its
meaning.

maa
nakaha ‘aabaaa- ‘ukum – (whom your
fathers married), it signifies towards that unlawful tradition of the period of
ignorance, by which the step-mothers were also used to be married and they did
not use to consider it improper or opprobrious.

The people used to marry their stepmothers during
the times of ignorance. In this verse, it has been forbidden that the women
whom your fathers have married, it is unlawful to marry them, although the
father has divorced her before intercourse. Moreover, if marriage means
copulation, then it is known that the father keeps company with whom woman, whether
after marriage or in the form of fornication or as bondwoman, in each condition
she is unlawful for the son because she is like a mother for the son. It is a
matter of disgusting, lewdness, an evil way and abomination. There is no doubt
in it that even during the period of ignorance, some wise people used to
comprehend it despised. Allah Almighty commands, “Refrain from such marriages
in future. However, there will be no accountability, what has already happened (of
that nature) in the past.

maa qad
salaf – (what has already happened), it means that there
is no sin on you for the nuptial knots which were fixed during the times of
ignorance, and now may be those women would have died also, because that sin
was before this law. Keep a matter in your mind here that if any Zoroastrian embraces
Islam, and he has already married his mother or sister, then it is his duty to
leave her, but those women whom he married during the time of infidelity,
children from them will be lawful, because these kinds of Divine Laws are not
for the disbelievers.

Holy Qur’an has used three words to prohibit from
this type of marriage and those three words indicate apart from each other:

1.faahishatun – (thelewdness)
because this type of marriage is a big lewdness it self, in addition to
considering it prudently bad.

2.maqtan – (abomination), besides abomination and rage, this word is
used for each that thing, observing which one feels an aversion in one’s
nature. Therefore, for the nice people, it is a very bad thing.

3.saaa-‘a
sabii-laa – (an evil way), saaa-‘a means bad. Suuu’
is also used in these meanings. sabii-laa (conduct, character), literally it means ‘the way, path’.
Due to such suitableness, this word has been used here in the meaning of ‘the character’.

Transliterated Holy Qur’an in Roman Script & Translated from Arabic to English by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by Paak Company, 17-Urdu Bazar, Lahore, Lesson collected from Dars e Qur’an published By Idara Islah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated
Urdu to English by Muhammad Sharif).